ROTTEN RALPH HELPS OUT

Sarah is learning about ancient Egypt at school, and when she tries to decide on the perfect class project, her bad cat, Ralph, helps out--with typically disastrous results. Author Jack Gantos narrates comfortably and has the ideal sly intonation for lines like, "Sarah's teacher was impressed. Her school friends were impressed. Of course, Ralph was impressed with himself." Gantos never talks down to his young listeners, and this early-reader book delivers plenty of fun facts about ancient Egyptians. (Ralph discovers that they invented handshakes and pancakes and they revered cats.) Nicole Rubel's funny, colorful illustrations make it a page-turner, and great Egyptian-inspired background music adds to the atmosphere. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 06/ JAN 07]